Pakistan must act against all militant groups: US

April 15, 2016

WASHINGTON: The US has asked Pakistan to target all militant groups, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT), after release of a state department cable which suggested strong links between the notorious spy agency ISI and the Haqqani network.

“We have been consistently clear with the highest levels of the government of Pakistan that it must target all militant groups, including the Haqqani Network, al-Qaida, Lashkar-e-Taiba,” said state department spokesman John Kirby.

“The government of Pakistan itself has repeatedly said it’s not going to discriminate against a terrorist group regardless of their agenda or affiliation,” he said.

Kirby was responding to a question on a series of latest US cable released by the National Security Archive which suggest strong links between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and the Haqqani network.

According to one of the cables, the ISI paid a whopping USD 200,000 to the dreaded Haqqani Network for a suicide attack on a CIA camp in Afghanistan in 2009 that killed seven American agents and contractors and three others.

The CIA declined to comment on the cable.

But an intelligence official told PTI there was no evidence which proves the information mentioned in the cable, which though is genuine.

The US has maintained that the attack on a CIA base in Afghanistan was the handiwork of al-Qaida and not the Haqqani network.

“During discussions at an unknown date between Haqqani Salar and an unidentified ISID officer or Officers, Haqqani and Salar were provide $200,000 to enable the attack on Chapman,” says the cable released by the National Security Archive of George Washington University which obtained it from the state department under the Freedom of Information Act.

The state department did not answer questions on the cable.

According to an intelligence official, the information in the cable obtained from a source on the ground could not be corroborated and there is no other cable matching this information.

“We’ve made it clear what our expectations of the Government of Pakistan are, and the government of Pakistan has made it clear publicly, repeatedly that it’s not going to discriminate against groups,” Kirby said.